Activists United In Call To End Iraq War

The war in Iraq was called many things Saturday, but the goal of the 200 anti-war activists gathered at Central Connecticut State University was the same.

``End the Occupation of Iraq and Bring the Troops Home Now,'' was the message at a forum organized by CT United for Peace and hosted by the university's peace studies program.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which many participants said was one reason for America's war in Iraq, was also a subject of the forum.

``We [the United States] have been branded with the letter `A' for `aggression,''' said Bill Fletcher Jr., the forum's keynote speaker.

Fletcher, president of TransAfrica Forum, a nonprofit organization that serves as a research and educational institution for the African American community, said the war has isolated the United States from the world.

Fletcher called for a fight for a democratic foreign policy.

The daylong forum brought together various anti-war groups in the state, such as the International Socialist Organization, and national organizations, such as U.S. Labor Against the War and Iraq Veterans Against the War.

Saturday's goal was to unite the groups to continue to broaden the anti-war movement and bring the troops back from Iraq.

Panelists included Yale genetics Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh, a leader of the Connecticut chapter of Al-Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition; and Rob Sarra, a 32-year-old former Marine from Chicago who joined Iraq Veterans Against the War after returning from Iraq and getting his honorable discharge.

Sarra, who served in Iraq with the 1st Marine Regiment from January to June 2003, said he joined the anti-war group after trying and failing to make sense of the war he had fought in.

``I had an epiphany when I came home confused about what I had seen and done,'' Sarra said. ``The reasons our government told us we were fighting are wrong. There are no weapons of mass destruction and Iraq wasn't harboring terrorists. ''

Marela Zacarias, a 25-year-old with Latinos Against the War, said the forum was a way to unite and strengthen the groups.

Her group educates high school students in the Hartford area about the alternatives to military service and how to think critically when confronted with a military recruiter.

``Military recruitment is really big in Hartford, but students should know there are alternatives,'' Zacarias said.

In the afternoon, workshops were held to discuss such topics as countering military recruitment in high schools, Israel's stake in the Iraq war, and how to practice civil disobedience in time of war.

The forum concluded with discussion of CT United for Peace's resolutions to mobilize a demonstration against President Bush's inauguration in Washington in January, and a statewide anti-war demonstration on March 5.

Sergio Barros, 22, a senior at CCSU, heard about the forum from a friend.